The Utility of High-Sensitive C-Reactive Protein and Cardiac Markers in the Prediction of Heart Diseases

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Inflammation, as indicated by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), plays a significant role in CVD pathogenesis. This study aims to evaluate the correlation between hs-CRP levels and heart disease among patients in Ibb City, Yemen.

Methodology: A total of 205 participants were enrolled, including 153 heart disease patients and 52 healthy controls, selected randomly from Al-Noor General Hospital, Al-Manar Specialist Hospital, Al-Badr International Hospital, M. Alboni Cardiac Clinic and Ibb Cardiac Center. Data collection involved echocardiography, hs-CRP tests, CK-MB, Troponin I and ECG, along with symptom assessment (angina, nausea, dizziness and shortness of breath). Statistical analyses included t-tests, ANOVA and chi-square tests.

Results: Among the heart disease patients, the prevalence of symptoms was angina (84.31%), nausea (53.95%), dizziness (75.16%) and shortness of breath (67.32%). A significant correlation was found between heart disease and elevated hs-CRP levels (p < 0.01). Descriptive statistics revealed that 69.9% of heart disease patients had positive hs-CRP results, compared to 30.1% with negative results. The mean hs CRP level was 48.37 mg/L (SD = 41.61) for positive cases and 1.22 mg/L (SD = 0.96) for negative cases. In the control group, 75% (n=39) had negative hs-CRP results, while 25% (n=13) tested positive (p < 0.001), demonstrating a significant difference from the patient group.

Conclusions: Patients with heart disease exhibit significantly higher hs-CRP levels than healthy individuals. Moreover, hs-CRP serves as an independent predictor of heart disease with statistical significance (p < 0.01). The moderate correlation (0.265) suggests that hs-CRP can be used as a biomarker for cardiovascular risk assessment, complementing traditional diagnostic tools.